Pat Taub
GUEST POST by MARGIE MARTIN CAMPBELL
Have you ever felt blissful on a hot summer afternoon when the air was so still you could only get a very small breeze by swinging in the old porch swing?
The one that Grandpa built all those years ago before you were born. Sure, the house windows are up with screens in place to “let a little air blow through.” And little enough it is, and not only that but the heat rides in piggyback with what air there is to blow.
That’s the kind of day when the bliss can hit hardest. You sit in the swing and watch those lazy puffy white clouds languidly move across your bit of blue, blue sky. And the bees are humming and buzzing on the honeysuckle vines that grow up at the end of the porch and are quite likely providing the only shade you have to keep out of the heat, but they might just be holding back any breeze that could blow your way.
The Bliss Gets Hold
That’s it! That is the thing about the bliss. It could blow anything your way. When the bliss gets hold of your heart or mind or liver or whatever it grabs anything could happen. You don’t know but what your wildest dreams and schemes could be coming your way—maybe drop from one of the clouds. A new friend could be just waiting to meet you. Your number might turn up on the lottery [should have bought a ticket].
The feeling when bliss gets hold of your heart
Dream a Little Bigger
It is time to take a chance to dream a little bigger [oxymoron] Ooh, and couldn’t you just bust right open with the thought of the possibilities that could be yours? You’ll get up right now and get started. There must be something you can do at this very moment.
What could it be? Maybe you need to think that over and come up with a plan of action. And ahh, there is a slight breeze that cools your cheek, so you settle back in the swing and watch those clouds. Wonder if an angel ever waved at anyone from up there. An angel peeking over the edge to spread the bliss below. Probably not likely. So, you wrap yourself in the bliss and just enjoy the near orgasmic joy of it. That’s the thing about the bliss. It wakes you up and lays you out all at the same time.
Awakening
I have been awakened to bliss to one degree or another several times. Riding through the beautiful hills of West Virginia in a car with the window partly down. The hills “were bathed in glory” with their autumn colors—the colors I love. Green, gold, blazing red, and brown. That was the first time I recognized the feeling that I had and had in the past as bliss. I finally had a name for it. I felt BLISSFUL. Calm, relaxed, lifted above myself.
A West Virginia highway reminiscent of the author’s blissful foliage scenes
The Bliss of Little Things
Bliss has not abandoned me. I find it in several little ways. When I got my master’s degree, I felt giddy and proud, which I think is part of being blissful. Once, standing close between two dear friends looking at a piece of fine needlework, I suddenly thought, I love these women. That was years ago, but we are still close friends. Love of all varieties can bring bliss.
The company of close friends can feel blissful
Having a puppy that is all wiggle tail and licky tongue and sweet puppy breath stand up on my lap to kiss me on the nose makes me happy and that is a little bliss.
A slightly bigger bliss is when Bruce, my husband, does something extra special and thoughtful for me. He is always thoughtful, but sometimes he does the unexpected.
Actually, I’m feeling some bliss reading over the memories I have written. Bliss does come in little ways and big ones, too. We just have to be aware of its diverse forms.
